BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

UNDERSTANDING and collaboration between students in Brunei and Singapore can strengthen the ties between both nations, Acting Director of Schools of Ministry of Education (MoE) Pg Sarimah Pg Hj Ahmad said yesterday.

This was said during the opening ceremony of the 8th Brunei-Singapore Students Leaders Adventure Camp (BSAC) 2014 at the Sports School in Berakas.

This year’s BSAC – the fourth hosted by Brunei – will be held until Dec 9.

Twenty students and four chaperones from various schools in the country are taking part in the camp. Singapore’s Ministry of Education also sent 20 students to participate.

“The intention of the camp is to foster stronger people-to-people linkages between the two countries and to provide a platform for students and teachers of both sides to interact, get to know each other’s cultures and way of life (while) forming enduring bonds of friendship,” said the MoE official.

A Singaporean student from Westwood Secondary School, Haimul Asri said, “Bruneian students are very friendly and hospitable. At first, I thought they were quite reserved, but then we got along very well in the hostel... I (also) thought there would be a language barrier but no. They are very fluent in English. It’s easy to bond with Bruneians in just a short period of time.”

The students will be doing outdoor activities for them to observe nature.

Hjh Ainah Hj Ibrahim, head of the international unit school department under MoE, said in her welcoming speech that “learning leadership and teamwork skills are the main objectives to be achieved in this camp. But this camp also aims to make the students aware of the importance of preserving and protecting our natural environment.”

The outdoor activities will be held in different recreational parks such as Tasek Lama, Berakas Forest, Kampong Bakiu in Tutong, Bio-Innovative Corridor and Kampong Sungai Matan.

The camp also looks to introduce the Sultanate’s cultural heritage, unique social lifestyle, and traditions to the visiting students.

The BSAC opening ceremony saw the delegates from Singapore perform traditional dances of the four ethnic groups in their country – Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian.

Meanwhile, the local participants reenacted the traditional practices of a Malay wedding such as majlis berbedak (powdering ceremony), berjarum-jarum (a ceremony to ask for the hand of the unmarried daughter), adat basuh kaki (washing of the feet ceremony) and akad nikah (solemnisation ceremony).

The Brunei Times